11. Regarding treatments: I get Xeomin injections every 3 months to be able to help keep my head straight and reduce tremors. I use essential oils and muscle relaxers to help with pain relief. Lots of yoga and exercise. I’m on a never ending journey to learn more about positively living with chronic illness

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Don’t know. They both stink.

13. Regarding chronic illness and working: I’m unemployable in the corporate world now. I’m working on building up my blog and freelance writing. I also have lots of ideas that I don’t have the time to get to right now!

14. People would be surprised to know: 1. Anxiety is a big part of this disorder 2. What my trapezius muscle feels like most of the time.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: dependence on other people and being patient with them when they don’t understand.

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: have somewhat of a normal life. I was incapacitated for nearly a year.

17. The commercials about my illness: There aren’t any for dystonia. We don’t have a celebrity spokesman although the Michael J. Fox Foundation has added dystonia to their research since it can co-exist with Parkinson’s for many people.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Jumping in the car with my kids and taking them anywhere I wanted. Now it’s got to be planned with someone else driving.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: see 18.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Yoga

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Be incredibly happy.

22. My illness has taught me: God is in control and to trust Him even when things are not going the way I hope. To be thankful for small things.

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.”

24. But I love it when people: Ask me what dystonia is, because it is so misunderstood.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: It’s hard to pick but this is a favorite. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody. Welcome to the world this difficult and unpredictable disorder. You’ll learn what works best for you as time goes on. Life is still worth living.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: Life goes on and the time passes. It’s up to me to make them most of it.

28. The nicest thing someone did for me: Shoutout to my family who patiently pick up the slack for me. I know this affects them every single day.

29. Why I advocate: We need more awareness and more treatment options. Dystonia needs to become as easily recognized as other chronic illness conditions such as Fibromyalgia Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and countless others.

30. The fact that you read this list about living with chronic illness makes me feel: thankful that you took the time to read it! Many people don’t know about cervical dystonia, even though it’s the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor.

Understanding Chronic Pain Triggers

No matter what causes your chronic pain, you know how miserable it can make your life during a flare up. The first step in natural chronic pain management should be knowing what the most common chronic pain triggers are and taking the steps to reduce their impact on your life.

Weather and Atmospheric Changes

When the weather changes to an extreme, whether from hot to cold or cold to hot, it can affect certain types of chronic pain. This is especially true when your pain is related to your joints, such as with arthritis or fibromyalgia but is also true of many other conditions. It can be helpful to keep a pain journal and record what’s going on the days you had a bad flare up. You might notice that your neck, back or knees hurt worse on rainy or extremely cold days. Understanding how weather changes can affect your chronic pain will help you to better prepare for them in the future.

Elevated Stress Levels

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and some of us have a lot more than others. For most people with chronic illness, stress just makes everything even worse. You’ve probably noticed that when life stresses have increased, the chronic pain soon follows. This is why knowing how to reduce stress is an essential part of chronic pain management.

Hormonal Changes in Women

For women, a big flare trigger for chronic pain can be when you have hormonal changes during different times of the month. These could be related to PMS, during the time of your cycle or as you begin to head toward menopause. This is another reason to note what’s going on in your pain journal, because writing things down will help you to notice these patterns. And the more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to manage these potential triggers.

Eating Inflammatory Foods

If your pain is related to your digestive system, such as with inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome, you already know you should be careful about what you eat. But this also applies to most chronic pain patients as well. Refined carbs such as white bread, rice and pasta are very inflammatory and can make many chronic pain conditions worse. Know your condition to learn what the potential food triggers are.

Tips for Natural Chronic Pain Management

Reduce stress in your life. Negative feelings such as depression, anxiety and anger can make your chronic pain worse. Learn how to reduce stress and you may find some relief from chronic pain.

Ditch the sugar. As mentioned above, inflammatory foods such as sugar and refined grains can contribute to elevated pain levels. Many people find relief following a low carb or paleo diet.

Cut back on alcohol, or eliminate it entirely. Chronic pain can make sleep difficult, but drinking alcohol is just putting a bandage on it and can make sleep problems even worse.

Getting regular exercise is a very effective part of a natural chronic pain management program. Not only that, it will help to keep your weight down, reduce heart disease and help to control blood sugar levels. Ask your health care professional about what the best exercise routine would be for you. If your energy levels are low or your mobility is limited, you can still find gentle workouts that won’t tax you. Yoga can be very accessible for most people.

I’ve been living with the chronic pain condition cervical dystonia since 2010. While there is no cure for it, I have been able greatly reduce pharmaceuticals by using these natural chronic pain management methods in my life.

Studies show that most Americans spend far too much time sitting or laying down, sometimes as often as nine hours per day. In terms of overall health and wellness, this sedentary lifestyle could even be just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.

However, some people live with chronic illness or limited mobility which can make getting out of their bed or chair quite difficult. Others may have broken a leg or an ankle, and are stuck sitting for long periods of time until the injury is healed. And some people aren’t able to stand at all, but they can still get some exercise while sitting down.

Staying fit as we age is matter of use it or lose it. If we don’t stay moving, stiffness and pain will only increase if we sit in the same position for hours on end, and then try to suddenly move in order to exercise.

But the good news is that it’s very possible for you to exercise with chronic illness no matter how limited you are if you choose the right exercises. Not only that, but it’s even possible to lose weight if you make the right choices when you develop your wellness routine.

Seated Workouts

Seated workouts will vary in intensity depending on where you’re sitting, the type of chair or seat you’re using, and whether or not you’re disabled or lack enough strength in your legs. If you have trouble with balance, standing up and walking on your own you can still get a good workout, but you’ll need to plan ahead as to what exercises and equipment are best suited for you.

Setting Realistic Wellness Goals

Seated workouts won’t improve every part of your body (you won’t look like a Cross Fitter but you can improve muscle tone and flexibility) but they can do wonders for your upper body and core muscles. Core strength is essential because they support everything that you do when sitting and will help you to maintain good posture and reduce back pain. Your workout might include upper body calisthenics on their own, or you could add light weights and resistance bands to increase your results.

How to Choose the Right Equipment

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started. If you don’t have weights, you can start out with bottles or gallons of water which can serve as light hand weights when you’re working out at home.

You might want to consider investing in a set of hand weights such as Aquabells. You just add water to the little plastic reservoirs to increase the weight of the barbells. Each weight can hold a total of 16 pounds. There’s also very portable if you are traveling. Just take out the water and pack them flat to take wherever you go.

Another option to consider for seated workouts is a good set of resistance bands. These bands offer similar weights to light hand weights weights even though your stretching dense rubber bands. They typically come in a set of several bands of different weights. For example, using one band might be equal to three pounds of resistance. So using all the bands in a kit might give you a total of 75 pounds.

You can definitely get a good work out sitting down….you just need to learn how to choose the routines that are right for you according to where you’re at today. Accept where you are and set realistic expectations for your health and fitness level.

My Suggestions for Exercise with Chronic Illness

I highly recommend Sleepy Santosha. Her yoga practices are truly accessible to most people, no matter what the physical limitations are. And best of all, you don’t have to leave the house!

Many people struggle during the holidays for a variety of reasons whether it be sickness, financial or family troubles. Living with chronic illness is its own special hell at times and it really helps to know that there are others out there who are walking this tough road. I’ve rounded up some posts from other chronic illness bloggers who offer helpful ideas for making the most of a chronic Christmas and surviving the holidays.

Living with never ending chronic pain takes a big emotional toll and the holidays make it worse. The Emotional Side of Chronic Pain will help you to feel a little less alone and offers some practical coping tips.

If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’re probably familiar with the safety presentation before take off. Back in olden times this would consist of the flight attendants demonstrating the proper use of seat belts and reviewing important emergency information. These days however, it’s usually presented as a video on your personal screen. At some point in the presentation, the use of air masks is demonstrated and it’s notable that mothers need to be reminded to put on their own masks before assisting their children.

The reason I mention this is that it’s a powerful reminder to us that we have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of everyone else and as moms, we’re very guilty of doing this far too often.

It’s all to easy to take care of everyone else around you and never get around to your own self care. Most of us were taught from an early age to put ourselves last when it comes to self care, and this is especially true for women. There are definitely times when others have to come first. For example, your newborn doesn’t have a choice and you’ll be sacrificing a lot of time, sleep, and energy in those first few weeks and months. But usually, that’s only for a temporary period.

I know that some of you are caregivers to children or have other family members who are in need of assistantance. Some of you may even have a chronic condition while being caregivers to others (like me…) and help is hard to come by. Self care in our circumstances is tough, but not impossible. You have to be intentional about it and at times, you’ll just have to grab that five minutes or more for self care on the fly when the opportunity presents itself.

For many of us, taking care of everyone else before ourselves is something we do on autopilot. Learn to become more aware of it and stop putting yourself last all the time. In high intensity situations, it’s a tight rope walk at times. You really have to be intentional in your situation to be able to make a conscious choice about how you’re going to spend your hours.

And you know what…it’s perfectly okay and necessary to put yourself first at times. The consequences of putting yourself on the back burner for months or years are very costly. After awhile, there’s really nothing left to give and your health will suffer.

It may feel good to put ourselves last, but when we routinely do it, we’re doing more harm than good to those around us. It causes us to be stressed and exhausted and that’s not pleasant for those who have to live with us! So, self care matters.

Starting today, make an effort to carve out some time for yourself. Do one thing for yourself, even if it’s just enjoying a quiet cup of coffee alone, or catching an extra 20 minutes of precious sleep. Investing time for self care matters. Do this more often and see for yourself how powerful the impact can be!

This blog uses affiliate links. They do not affect the cost of the product for you, but I receive a small commission for recommending them. I only recommend products that I feel comfortable with and believe would benefit my readers. Thanks for your support!

Living with chronic pain can feel relentless and overwhelming at times. However, there are self care practices that you can do every day to help you cope with chronic pain. You might already be doing some of these things, while the others you’ll have to be more intentional with. It’s most important that you consistently keep trying to make positive changes in your life for effective pain management and optimum mental health.

Reduce Your Stress Levels

Stress has a negative impact on every area of our lives, especially chronic illness and chronic pain. No matter what the cause of your chronic pain, stress is very likely to trigger flares and make everything worse than it already is. The most important thing you can do is to figure out what’s causing your stress and find ways to reduce it. This might be as simple as leading a more organized life to avoid every day stress or limiting time spent with toxic people.

Wake Up Your Endorphins

You don’t love exercise? Do it anyway! While you already know that exercise is a great way to control your weight and get in better shape, it also helps to promote blood flow that helps to reduce your risk for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. A good workout not only makes you sweat a bit, but also releases endorphins, the happy chemicals in your brain. When endorphins are released your stress levels are quickly reduced and your overall mood will be improved.

Exercises helps us to handle chronic pain much better. If it’s a struggle to get started, just accept where you are and go from there. No matter what the source of your chronic pain is, whether it be from fibromyalgia, arthritis or any form of chronic illness, gentle movement is a great way to reduce chronic pain levels. I live with cervical dystonia and my upper back and neck are frequently in spasm but yoga and fitness walks help keep me functioning.

Reduce or Eliminate Your Alcohol Intake

I’ve been sober for over 30 years and have never used alcohol to alleviate my chronic pain. This has been a big part of my drive to live out healthy self care practices. While drinking alcohol might be a temporary fix, it will only hurt you in the long run.

Remember that alcohol is a drug, albeit a legal one. It’s a depressant and can make your mood highs and lows much worse. Not only that, drinking can interfere with proper sleep which is extremely important to those living with chronic pain.

If you want to stay away from alcohol, just reach out to find sober community online, I highly recommend She Recovers and Sober Mommies to find your sober tribe.

Eat a Healthy Diet

The typical American diet causes inflammation, which definitely contributes to elevated pain levels. At the very least, try to drastically reduce grains and processed sugars. Some people might find it helpful to eliminate dairy and nightshades. If you aren’t able to see a functional medicine doctor, do some online research to get started.

Find a Support Group

Chronic pain is not something to take lightly. It’s life altering and overwhelming. It can contribute to anxiety and depression, possibly even suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately, those around you may not understand what life is like for you and that can be really depressing. If it’s not possible to find a local group, there are many ways to connect on social media. You can look for Facebook groups or if that gets to be too much, you can search the hashtag of your diagnosis on Twitter or Instagram to connect.

This blog uses affiliate links. They do not affect the cost of the product for you, but I receive a small commission for recommending them. I only recommend products that I feel comfortable with and believe would benefit my readers. Thanks for your support!

Anna’s day was off to a rough start. She overslept and was late getting the kids out the door. Traffic was backed up and she realized she forgot to charge her smartphone’s battery. With no time to make coffee, she stopped at a drive through but when she went to pay her bill, the cashier let her know that the customer ahead of her had already paid her bill.

This simple act of kindness brought a smile to Anna’s face. Suddenly the day seemed a little better. So she decided to pay it forward and bought a cup of coffee for the person in line behind her. And for the rest of the day, she tried to look for little ways that she could help to brighten someone else’s day.

The holidays can be one of the difficult times of year for people who struggling with depression or are grieving. If you know that holidays are a hard time for you, start to think now about how you might pay it forward and do some random acts of kindness.

If you’re stuck for ideas, try doing one of these things:

Pay for the coffee of the person behind you.

Leave a big tip for your server.

Write a sweet note and put it in your child’s backpack.

Give a stranger a simple compliment.

Call or message a friend going through a hard time.

Invite friends who might be alone during the holidays over for coffee or a holiday meal.

Kindness doesn’t cost much and it only takes a few minutes to start a chain reaction of giving. The world needs it.

God, help me find small ways to give back to others. Show me how I can cheer up those around me who might be struggling.

Depression is a sad reality for many of us during the holidays. Dealing with disability in ourselves or a loved one can intensify it. Some people might also grieving the loss of a loved one. Money struggles, strained family relationships and social pressures can also make the holidays difficult.

My Story

Depression has been an unwelcome presence in my life for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, I tried to numb it with food. When I was a teenager and on into early adulthood, I tried to numb myself into oblivion with drugs and alcohol. Trouble with that was I had to sober up sometime and when I did, I was still depressed. Worse, I got myself to the place where even that wasn’t working anymore.

I began attending twelve step meetings around the fall of 1985. The holiday season was beginning, of course and despite my best intentions I could not stay sober for anything. I thought I could handle the parties without drinking but failed miserably. I finally made a commitment to sobriety in January of 1988 and I’ve stayed sober ever since, one day at a time.

The first few years I went to many, many meetings around the holidays to get through it. I had to stay away from people, places and things that were potential triggers. This included my family, unfortunately as they were completely unsupportive. Eventually I got to a place where I was more comfortable in my skin and it wasn’t such an issue any more.

I give full credit to 12 step principles and the Christian faith I came to a few years later for alleviating the worst of my depression. I do still have to deal with it but today I have the tools to manage it.

My regular readers know that in the fall of 2010 I was diagnosed with cervical dystonia. I was in excruciating pain for months and months until my exercises and Botox started to help. It is a horribly depressing condition. I was on the couch with kids who needed Mom. I couldn’t get the Christmas tree up; I could only watch from the couch. To my alarm as I researched dystonia it seemed that many people who got it went through a period of drinking to deal with it.

It’s three years later and after a long, tough fight I am more functional and I was actually able to do much of the tree decorating this year. Still, I have limitations and I’m still prone to depression. I’m on a three month cycle of Xeomin injections and due for shots next week…right in the heart of Christmas season.

How To Survive Holiday Depression and Disability

Keep the Faith

Practice the spiritual tradition that makes sense to you right now, but remain open. For example, I didn’t grow up observing Advent but I’ve come to love it as an adult. Advent readings beckon me to slip away and draw near to Jesus.x.who frequently had to slip away from crowds Himself to pray to the Father. I also use the Divine Hours to make that time in the day to turn from earthly cares.

Resist the urge to overindulge

It’s so easy to try to numb yourself with holiday indulgences, but the price you’ll have to pay isn’t worth it. As much as you can, try to keep your usual nutritional plan and exercise routines going.

Making time for fellowship

As a special needs mom who is disabled herself, I have found that friendships have really changed since my diagnosis. The reality for families like ours is that we are just too much trouble to be around for a lot of people. Still, we can find time to meet a friend for coffee, go to church and go to a few community celebrations.

Exercise

There is nothing like movement to lift the spirit. Combining worship and movement can really give you a boost.

Acceptance

Accept what you can do for today and let the rest go. I can’t do everything I used to do and I’ve learned I can’t be that super perfect mom for Christmas. And that’s okay. My kids aren’t going to remember how many holiday activities I dragged them around to. They will remember the time I spent with them. Things like watching Christmas shows, baking cookies, reading or taking a walk.

Keep it simple

I don’t do a ton of decorating. A tree, stockings, the nativity and maybe a few lights and touches around the house are just enough for me.

Shop online

As the crowds, business and crazy drivers intensify in December, I am grateful to be able to just sit at the computer in my yoga pants, cup of tea in hand and browse to my hearts content instead of struggling with with my chronic pain and physical limitations in the store.

If you’re struggling with depression this holiday season, know that you are not alone and there are people who care. If the feelings are intense, and other strategies aren’t working, don’t feel guilty about seeing a doctor.

Bible Verses for Depression

Psalms 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Isaiah 49:16 I will not forget you…Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands…

May the peace and comfort of our Lord be with you this holiday season!

In our crazy, busy, always connected world is it ever okay to do nothing? As a matter of fact, when was the last time you did nothing? And by nothing, I don’t mean Facebooking or binging on the latest episodes of your favorite Netflix show…not that there’s anything wrong with that! I mean just sitting or lying quietly and not doing anything. No checking the phone, social media, games, email, etc.

It seems kind of crazy that doing nothing is actually a skillset that many of us need to learn.

But think about it, there’s lots of value in doing nothing at all on a regular basis. If you’re the type of person who likes to continuously multitask, this will probably present a challenge to you, as well also for the person who can only focus with background noise and lots of craziness going on around them. If this is you, I’d encourage you to still give doing nothing a try.

If being in a quiet room by yourself doing nothing is an entirely new concept to you, start slow. Set a time to do it for just 5 to 10 minutes a day. Don’t stare at any electronic devices while you’re sitting there. Set an alarm on your phone or use a timer and then set it out of site. Trust in the fact that you’ll hear the alarm go off when your downtime is up.

You might be wondering is what exactly you should be doing while you’re sitting there doing nothing. It’s very simple…let your mind wander a bit. It will work out whatever it feels is most important. You don’t need to give the thoughts any direction, but if there’s something you’re struggling with, feel free to nudge your thoughts into that direction.

Don’t feel guilty what you’re thinking about and mulling over. This downtime is a time to relax and go where your thoughts take you. It’s as much to give your mind a much needed break as it is to encourage creative thinking.

If you feel so inclined, this isn’t a bad time to try meditation. This can be as simple as focusing on your breath, or meditating on a simple prayer like the Lord’s prayer or the Jesus prayer.

Now, this quiet time is probably going to feel a little strange at first and maybe even a little stressful. You might feel tempted to check your phone! If it’s that much of a struggle, leave the phone in the other room. But at the very least, silence it and lay it upside down so you can’t see or hear alerts pop up.

As time goes by you’ll begin to welcome this downtime. You can then start extending the time you spend each day in quiet free form exploration. Spend 20 or more just sitting quietly and thinking.

This quiet time will reap wonderful benefits. You’ll feel refreshed, relaxed, and ready to get on with the rest of your day. Think of it as a kind of siesta for your brain. Just remember that your mind never completely stops working.

When I take this “do nothing” breaks, I usually come out of them feeling a little more refreshed and ready for the rest of the day (admittedly coffee does help here!)

Remember, it’s perfectly okay to do nothing and it’s even okay to plan it into your day.

Stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it’s a vital survival process that has historically allowed us to run from dangerous situations or get ready to fight back. Even today, stress can push us to get through life stressors such as work projects, studying for tests hospitalizations, illnesses and even just fighting traffic. There is a time and a place for stress but the big problem in our time is that we’re always under too much stress. When chronic stress becomes a daily fact of life it becomes dangerous and even deadly.

Stress is typically categorized into two different types. The first one is acute stress, which is what you feel when you’re in a dangerous situation. When you’re in an accident or natural disaster and you just barely make it out, you’re probably feeling acute stress. While acute stress takes a toll on the body, it’s not nearly as dangerous and deadly as chronic stress. Chronic stress is the type of constant stress we feel day in and day out that we feel powerless over.

Health Dangers of Chronic Stress

Over time, chronic stress will wear out the body. Chronic stress will do damage to your heart, your arteries, and even your gut and your immune system. Stressed out people often suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach and digestive problems, ulcers, and due to the lowered immune system, they are more susceptible to various bacterial and viral infections like cold and flu. Not only that, but insomnia is also a part of high stress and contributes to our overall sense of fatigue and exhaustion. And finally, stress makes it harder to heal and recover from any injury or sickness. And if you’re living with chronic illness, stress will make your symptoms worse.

Here’s a few other nasty health dangers of chronic stress:

*Stress will do a number on your digestive system either from constipation or diarrhea.

*Low libido? Check your stress levels!

*Stress causes acne for many women due to stress hormones spiking.

*Many women turn to food to help numb what they’re feeling. While it may temporarily help you feel better, the long term results include weight gain which is stressful in itself and exacerbation of other health problems.

It’s vitally important to focus on reducing stress as much as we can and find healthy and productive ways to cope better with our lives. We must intentionally make time for relaxation in order to give our body a chance to recoup and recover. While there isn’t always a lot we can do about external stressors, there is a much we can do to counterbalance it from yoga and meditation, to getting more sleep, practicing spiritual disciplines and cutting back on unnecessary distractions.

In light of all the damage chronic stress can have on your overall health and wellbeing, are you ready to begin embracing more rest and relaxation in your life? If so, tomorrow’s post where we begin to take a closer look at our lives and see what can be changed.

For right now, simply start to become more aware of the nasty health dangers of chronic stress and what you can do to alleviate your stress levels. It’s much easier to start addressing the problem once you’ve become aware of it.